THE youngster has been a hit since being given the chance to shine after Rangers started life in Division Three but reckons he'll improve under McCoist's stewardship.

Barrie McKay scores number seven for Rangers against Alloa in the Scottish Cup.

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BARRIE McKAY believes it’s time for the L-plates to come off the Rangers young team after being handed a licence to thrill.

It was full throttle for the Ibrox side on Saturday as the 17-year-old, who has just started his driving lessons, fired a double in the 7-0 rout over Alloa.

After passing his latest test with flying colours as he lit up Ibrox with two sublime finishes, McKay insists sideline instruction from boss Ally McCoist and the backing of the home support is helping the Light Blue teenagers slip through the gears.

Lewis McLeod and Fraser Aird both started against the Wasps with Robbie Crawford and McKay making a scoring impact from the bench.

The supporting cast included 20-year-olds Chris Hegarty and Kal Naismith and McKay is adamant being fast-tracked into first-team duty isn’t as daunting with his gaffer guiding him through games from the dugout.

He said: “People talk about the pressure of being young and playing for Rangers but I don’t see it like that.

“Lewis has played every game and adapted to playing first-team football well. Fraser has also come in and shown he can handle it.

“They are both playing well but when you come into the team, you are helped by the way the fans react. They give you the boost you need.

“It’s hard for any player when things aren’t going your way and that’s the case whether you are a young player or one of the more experienced players. But the fans are always on your side no matter what has been happening.

“The manager is also there with you on the side of the park and he’s always talking to us. He always lets us know what’s happening and what to do.

“The fact he talks us through the game is a big help and it’s the same with the rest of the coaching staff.

“I try to listen to the manager shouting from the side but it just depends how loud the crowd are whether I can hear him or not.”

Despite the pre-match talk of Paul Hartley’s men piling the pressure on McCoist’s side after their midweek defeat to Inverness, it proved to be a stroll in the park.

The Second Division side arrived in Govan in a generous mood as a combination of stage fright and defensive gaffes ensured the feel-good factor returned for Gers who were gifted a goal as early as the second minute.

Dean Shiels helped himself to a double as did Lee McCulloch and it was left to Crawford and McKay to put a shine on a scoreline which could have been more emphatic.

The Scotland Under-19 star arrived on the scene in the second half to make his 10th substitute appearance of the season and cracked a stunning shot into the top corner before capping his display with a low finish to complete a slick passing move. McCoist insisted McKay’s second goal was the pick of the bunch but the youngster took issue with that assessment after a game he’ll never forget.

He said: “It was great to get on the park and to score a couple of goals was even better.

“I would say my first goal was better but the manager told me that the way I took my second goal was good. That’s a confidence boost that the manager notices these things.

“I have hit a few shots for Rangers and none of them have gone in but watching that first one fly in was really something special. I hit one the other week and it came off the bar so when I had the first shot on Saturday I was wondering if it was going to go in or not.

“It was my first game in the Scottish Cup and to be able to come on and score two goals is fantastic.”

It was the perfect response from Rangers after their sterile League Cup loss to Inverness and McKay insists they were determined to go for Alloa’s throat after altering their system to suit the task in hand. He said: “The way we played against Alloa was so much better than against Inverness and we showed we can score a lot of goals.

“That will boost our confidence. We played a 4-4-2 formation and the players enjoyed it. It’s a system which suited the players we have.

“Hopefully that’s a formation which is here to stay and if we keep going out and winning games then that's all we can do. We know the display against Inverness wasn’t good enough and it was about putting that into the past and moving on.

“There was a point to prove after Wednesday and we went out and did that.

“Inverness came out with all guns blazing and we needed to compete with them but we struggled to lift our game against them.

“It’s all part of the learning curve and we went out and gave the fans a performance they deserved after the disappointment of the previous game.”